Stopped by Police after visiting Tesco

[Big Boss Man]

Couple of posts temp unapproved.

By my calcs they have until next Friday to respond.

If they dont I wont be pussyfooting-next step will be a 14 day letter before action.

This weekend another 2 people pulled me up in town asking whats gone on-you cannot get stopped right outside the towns Weatherspoons pub and expect no one to notice.I have been a DJ in my town centre for almost 20 years in most of the pubs and bars and so not exactly unknown.

I dont need any Solicitors or CAB for this-I will follow it through myself and let a Court decide if its ok for the likes of like Tesco to target people at will, when and as they think they feel like doing so,without just cause or valid reasons.

I am not just doing this for me-I want to send a message that may hopefully prevent the same from happening to others.

 

Well said - not that i look dodgy, but i have been followed round stores and stopped on more than one occasion, just waitng for it to happen again, now that i am up to speed on the ins and outs, thanks to this site.

[MARTIN3030]

I called into Tesco today for some bits and pieces.

On my way out I noticed there was no one queuing at the CS desk -which is VERY unusual.

I made my way over and said I was advising them I had made a request to their data protection office and maybe she would like to log it.

She asked me to explain...which is what I then did.

She agreed that it was out of order and picked up the tannoy desk Mic ..."I am going to call the Manager" she said -can you wait a moment ?

I said sure lets see how he can explain things.

After 2 further calls no response.

A cashier came over and said "Ah they are still in the meeting upstairs"....I said fair enough.

She then said-Do you want me to call Security ? maybe they can add something ?

As I glanced over I said "No thanks-theres the guy who was on duty here when I called in on the 26th-I dont want to speak to him at all thanks"

With that I made my exit.

[Conniff]

It seems cause I had a bobcap on and a tracksuit

 

But Tesco sells bobcaps and tracksuits, so what are they on about. Do they call the police every time someone purchases a cap and tracksuit, how stupid.

[MARTIN3030]

Well said - not that i look dodgy, but i have been followed round stores and stopped on more than one occasion, just waitng for it to happen again, now that i am up to speed on the ins and outs, thanks to this site.

 

The fact that I was walking very slowly and casually,gives rise to the fact that the store security could EASILY have stopped me before leaving the store-in fact there was a 500 metre walk across their car park heading into town.

My belief is that this was carried out as part of the towns shopwatch operations whereby stores inform everyone else in the location even if you are seen to be just LOOKING suspicious.

Radios are left on an open channel and the Police obviously pick up these messages as they are sent-but in this instance I was specifically told that they had been given a report from Tesco-he even knew thats where I had come from.

I might also contact the Co-ordinators of the towns shopwatch and ask to see a copy of their privacy and policy docs-I dont think I would need to send a SAR for that.

It may well be there will be some supporting evidence I can use in there.

[MARTIN3030]

But Tesco sells bobcaps and tracksuits, so what are they on about. Do they call the police every time someone purchases a cap and tracksuit, how stupid.

 

 

Very true Conniff-I very often go shopping in trackies-as do many people.

Its a stereotype image that store detectives the Police and Security firms appear to use almost as an industry standard observation tac.

Years ago it used to be earrings and tattoos....these days no one bats an eyelid.

[MARTIN3030]

Update on this.

Following no reply to my first letter I sent a second.

Got a reply back dated 3rd July from their legal team.

 

Basically they are saying that following their investigation with the store-they can confirm that they hold no info about me and no request was made by them to Police to stop me.

Someone is telling porkies here.....

 

Have replied that I will do a SAR to Merseyside Police and find out who is telling the truth.

Also asked again why I have not been given a response to my questions about their procedures for releasing CCTV images under the data protection act.

[ErikaPNP]

Go get em Martin, they are becoming a law unto themselves!!

[tinkerbell20]

well this opens up a can of worms doesn't it - because if Tesco hadn't informed on you to the police then weren't their actions unlawful??

[labrat]

no the police do have stop and search rights under the p.a.c.e act

[JonCris]

Even under PACE they need a reason & in this case the reason was supplied by Tesco

[MARTIN3030]

Yes of course they do.

But I was told that the reason for them pulling me was following a report that I had been seen acting very suspicious in Tesco.

I am wondering if the store security made the call by radio and did not log it.

Hopefully the SAR to the Police should throw some light as to whether that was the case.

[1stlifeline]

Just showed my son this thread. He works for Tesco on security and he is gobsmacked at this. He dosnt think the call came from Tesco as they are trained to watch someone from the moment they get suspicious and have to have cctv footage from then to the person leaving the store or else they cant do anything.

For instance, of they see someone pocket a CD they have to be able to see them on camera for ALL the rest of the time they are in store, otherwise they cannot stop them as they leave the store as they could possibly have put the item back in a different place.

He said he cannot see any possible instance which would result in security contacting the police after someone has left the store.

There is nothing in the training that allows this to happen.

[MARTIN3030]

Thank you for your reply I appreciate it.

What you say is very logical.

But my town operates a shopwatch scheme which is linked to almost all business in the town.

grants were given to allow the scheme to be expanded to even the smallest of business since there is a fee for radios.

On leaving Tesco I had to walk some 700 metres across a car park-cross a road and turn into another main street.

It was when I turned in there that I saw the police car approaching me from the opposite direction.

If it was Police motivated then they had good possibility to stop me well before this point.

in fact it is not possible for the Police to have driven from the store to where I was stopped because it would have meant them driving all round town on the one way system.

Possible then that Tesco are operating the shopwatch as separate to the security team and was not logged ?

It is a complete mystery to me.

How did the Police know that I was i the store ?

Yes I was wandering around aimlessly looking for what I went in there for.

They interpreted this wrongly but could only suggest this if they were told.

Incidentally I had £960 in my pocket which I was using to buy some dollars for my holiday-and bought 30 minutes after this.

[Toulose LeDebt]

Even under PACE they need a reason & in this case the reason was supplied by Tesco

 

 

My son gets stopped and searched about 3 times a week on average (He's 17 and we live in a city). The reason they give each time is 'suspicion' of what exactly we have never been able to determine. The amendments to PACE make Thatchers 'SUS' laws look like the cub scout handbook.

 

(He's been arrested and the house has been subsequently searched three times this year. Each time they use PACE 32 powers to search because the 'Police Code' version conveniently leaves out everything after the comma ie if the person is a danger to himself or others. Two NFA's and a 'laughed out of Court' quite literally).

Two of the arrests were because my son refused to give his name upon stop and search which is of course an arrestable offence. His reason being that the officers were not prepared to issue him with the yellow 'naughty note' form.

What is the country coming to?

Edited July 12, 2009 by Toulose LeDebt

[MARTIN3030]

Yes I may have argued on this case and refused also but for leaving for Russia a few hours later.

[natalie]

And they wonder why people dont have respect for the police

 

My cousin was arrested because he refused to state that his nationality was British (he's Northern Irish) and charged with public order offences (breach of the peace I think) he was just lifted off the street, on a Saturday afternoon, for no reason at all.

[Patma]

Sorry this happened to you, Martin. It's absolutely ridiculous. I'm glad you're fighting it though. Say the word and we can have a boycott of Tesco!

My daughter phoned me yesterday to say her friend was arrested under S. 44 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, handcuffed and searched, then held for some time in a locked police van on Chatham High Street for taking photographs.

He's an amateur photographer and a member of Medway Eyes. All the members are so incensed they've organised a mass photo taking protest.

[MARTIN3030]

Amazing Patma:eek:

I have ways of getting even with Tesco-I will be reporting them to trading standards for every breach of unfair consumer trading regs....They quite often make mistakes in my local store-I will be looking out for them in future.

[My Real Name]

Two of the arrests were because my son refused to give his name upon stop and search which is of course an arrestable offence.

I was under the impression that giving your name is not required during a stop & search / account under Secion 60 / PACE / Section 44, and not giving your name is not grounds for arrest.

[funkyparott]

I was under the impression that giving your name is not required during a stop & search / account under Secion 60 / PACE / Section 44, and not giving your name is not grounds for arrest.

 

 

Correct, not giving your name and address to a Police Officer for the purpose of reporting your for summons autmatically gives the Police a right to arrest you under SOPCA.

 

Under SOPCA, this triggers a power of offence for *ANY* offence what so ever.

 

Stop Search is a power that can be abused.

 

An officer can conduct a Section 1 PACE search based on 'current intelligence' and they don't have to specify the source of this intel when making the search.

 

I'm certain they have a get out in the dataprotection act to not supply this info. Otherwise, every drug barron in the UK would be doing subect data requests (crude analogy as this has nothing to do with your situation)

 

I do think the whole situation stinks so far as your case is concerned. Have you considered making an official complaint to the Police?

[Toulose LeDebt]

I was under the impression that giving your name is not required during a stop & search / account under Secion 60 / PACE / Section 44, and not giving your name is not grounds for arrest.

 

You are correct. Unfortunately the policy recently adopted by our local constabulary is to stop them 'on suspicion of........' then adjust to suit the circumstances. The arrests were made under Sec 50 of the Police reform Act 2002. Both times the initial stop seems to be the ubiquitous 'suspicion of drug misuse' that they stop eveyone between the ages of about 15 to 30 of around us, then if they feel the boys are being 'uncooperative' this changes to suspicion of anti social behaviour. Any objection whatsoever to the initial stop and search can be construed as 'anti social behaviour'.

 

My daughter was recently on a double decker bus returning from college. The bus was pulled over and everyone had to get off have their tickets checked, and walk through a metal detector, have their pockets, handbags, schoolbags and shopping bags searched. This included all the old ladies coming back from shopping, bingo or wherever. Took over one hour and no explanation was given.

Perhaps next time Martin3030 fancies a day trip to Russia he comes to the West Midlands you get the full cold war experience down here.

 

(The case that was laughed out of Court involved a witness description of the offender describing him as black (my son is white) and the primary witness accidentally saying 'It wasn't them it was two other people' prior to cross exmination).

[Patma]

My daughter was recently on a double decker bus returning from college. The bus was pulled over and everyone had to get off have their tickets checked, and walk through a metal detector, have their pockets, handbags, schoolbags and shopping bags searched. This included all the old ladies coming back from shopping, bingo or wherever. Took over one hour and no explanation was given.

That's appalling and the fact that if you raise questions , then you are accused of anti-social behaviour, well what can I say.

We have to stand up against these Orwellian tactics, because if we don't it can only get worse. People need to wake up fast to what's going on in this country.

It's good that your children have got a Dad who knows his rights and is no pushover, TLD. I hope it rubs off on them.

[Patma]

Amazing Patma:eek:

I have ways of getting even with Tesco-I will be reporting them to trading standards for every breach of unfair consumer trading regs....They quite often make mistakes in my local store-I will be looking out for them in future.

That's a great idea. I'll do that in solidarity.:grin:

[skonk]

Some security guards have nothing better to do with their time. I always get watched in shops, as I'm covered in tattoos and a skinhead, and a big build. Without fail, when I walk into a shop, I always say out loud to my girlfriend,"Watch the security guard follow me now to see if I'm gonna steal something! By the time he's followed me aroudn the store to thje till, where I will PAY for everything. he'd be better looking for the smack heads and drunks and scallies who are stealing right under his nose"

 

This normally makes the guard shuffle about a bit, then disappear around the corner. What's even funnier is, ten seconds later, I normally see his head pop around the corner, then I say, very loudly,"Look! He's following me again!"

 

At this stage, people around me are laughing and even talking to me about it. It happens everytime I go into Tesco or Asda. My girlfriend hates going shopping with me, cos I do this every time!

[MARTIN3030]

Yes theres a distinct absence of any observation of others who are more conservatively dressed.

I never see Bank Managers getting stopped or questioned even though they are clearly very guilty of taking money from people that does not belong to them-and they've been getting away with it for years.